Trying day at the tryout

For the first time in their six seasons in the Frontier League, the Wild Things did not sign a player from their open tryout camp. Twenty-nine players and one TV reporter participated Saturday morning at Consol Energy Park but left without being offered a contract. That's by far the smallest turnout for a Wild Things tryout. There were 50 players who attended in 2005 and 57 last year. The team's first tryout camp, in 2002, attracted 132 players. The small turnout can be attributed to several things: 1. The weather. It rained during the majority of the camp. 2. The Frontier League is holding its league-wide tryout and draft Monday and Tuesday in Washington. A player has a better shot of being signed when working out for 12 teams instead of one. 3. Former high school and college players are figuring out the Frontier League isn't exactly a beer league. You have to be pretty good to play at this level. Back in 2002, there were plenty of guys at the tryout who shouldn't have been there. They likely had staggered out of a bar at 2 a.m. the night before, reasoned that it made perfect sense to make an attempt the next morming at playing profesisonal baseball, then stopped at Wal-Mart to buy a baseball glove on their way home. My favorite guy that year was a pitcher who wore an unbuttoned flannel shirt, blue jeans and smoked cigarettes while waiting for his turn to throw in the bullpen. He had no chance but be signed but, hey, he can always say he had a tryout with a profesisonal baseball team.